Silverstone F1 2017 Woodlands camping rookie questions :)

Bazooka_Joe · Mar 14, 2017

Hello,

So my Silverstone tickets for full weekend arrived today and I'll be based at Woodlands somewhere in a tent for a few nights for the first time at Silverstone. Very much looking forward to it!

Since it'll be my first visit to Silverstone and first camping in many years - what would you recommend to prepare/take for me wife & nearly teenage daughter before we set off in July? We have a car booked for parking and empty boot for goodies and planning to arrive on Wednesday afternoon and leave when we feel is good (maybe Monday morning to avoid traffic depending on how fed up we'll be with camping altogether).

What are the must haves, what would you recommend doing once there and what to avoid? Basically, I'm looking for some good tips on the venue from the people who know what they are talking about, not random reviewers from the internets. Stuff like "don't forget soap or bog roll as there's none at the venue", "bring a lot of water as it's super expensive on-site", what to do with valuables while out-and-about, phone charging facilities or even approximate cost of goods once locked to the area would be really helpful! You know - good hints

Are ear defenders still worthy in hybrid era?

I also hope to see some of you there too and have a proper RD beer and banter gathering but that's probably worth creating a dedicated thread.

Bazooka_Joe · Jun 8, 2017

Is it possible to park the car next to the tent to keep some stuff safe & dry in the boot of the car? I've pre-booked the parking too.

gazf12010 · Jun 8, 2017

Short Answer: take everything bar the kitchen sink.

its better to have everything even if you dont end up using it, than not have it and need it!!!

long answer:

The Silverstone track is an old WW2 airfield and despite hosting Grand Prix for almost 60 years has little inferstructure and still retains a quite open flat nature of a airfield.

Therefore there is little respite from the elements. If it rains you get soaked, if it is sunny you will get burned and if it is overcast and windy, you can still get windburn. Even if you do have covered grandstand seats you can still be prone to the elements especially if you are in south facing grandstands (Abbey, Village, Woodcote, National Straight, Copse) as the weather comes in from the south West.

Weather can be very changable so need to be prepared for everything. good waterproofs are a must have as are good waterproof shoes that are comfortable as the trackside is mainly concrete and hardstanding/stones. I dont recommend trainers as they can get soaked through and its no fun having to put on wet trainers on a saturday morning that are still soaked from friday, unless you have plenty of spare trainers to bring. plenty of spare clothes to change into as if it wet whole weekend you have a nice dry clothing to change into when you get back to tent and also for following day. A roll of Black bin liners are essensial for putting damp muddy clothes in, keeping things dry. and for any waste also.

I have not camped at Woodlands before but having looked at the website looks like they have excellent washing facilitys, however i would reccomend taking wet wipes just to freshen up inside the circuit, lots of sunscreen for if its sunny or even if its overcast and windy and long sleeved light tops and sunhats/caps. I cant comment on how pricey the campsite is for food and drink, hopefully someone else can comment but would reccommed bringing drink (plastic containers only, glass bottles not allowed in circuit) and food into the circuit as the prices can get expensive over weekend.

Are you bringing your own tent? If you are, you should be able to park the car next to it, however if your staying in one of the pre built tents i have no idea what the situation is.

Although the hybrid era of formula one the cars are quieter than previous generation F1 cars, the GP2 sorry i mean F2 cars are still quite loud. although the decibels of the F2 races are possibly still lower than 10,000 teenyboppers screaming at some boyband in Wembley arena, noise is subjective and your young daughter may prefer to have some ear defenders if it gets to much for her. In celebrartion of Williams 40th year we are scheduled to have some demo laps from some Williams v8 and v10 cars. Myself personally, I never wore ear plugs or defenders during the V10 era. Ear defenders can be bought in circuit i think for around £8-£10 however you could possibly find some better quality ones on amazon for same price. Also dont forget the parecetmol/ junior paracetemol. not just for the noise but being subjected to the elements for long periods of time.

hope all of this helpful, if i think of anything else i will post it for you- if you have any more questions i will try and answer.

rubaru · Jun 8, 2017

I'm just typing something here because I'm interested in all the responses and so it stays on my alerts. I've never been but I might some day, so I have some interest in what is said. I would certainly look to @Jimlaad43 for some more advice, as well, as I think he has marshaled at Silverstone numerous times. He might have a bit of an insider's perspective.

Bazooka_Joe · Jun 13, 2017

First of all, thanks @gazf12010 for such detailed response!

Footwear is something we overlooked so we'll definitely get some spare pairs of heavy duty footwear (even if it have to sit in a car it will be better than having to put wet shoes back on in the morning!). Same with headache tablets for the sunshine - definitely will bring some.

How about stuff such as portable stove to boil some water for tea/coffee in the morning? And how about the drinking water supplies? Shall I bring a lot of bottled water with me or can I fill up the container quickly/cheaply at the campsite/nearby?

Bringing our own tent with us with intention to use the car as a safe and dry storage when we're not around.

Does anyone know the rough prices of food at the venue during the F1 weekend? How well do they cater for special dietary requirements?

gazf12010 · Jun 13, 2017

Thanks am glad you found my advice helpful. hope you find these answers equally helpful.

Yes a portable stove is a good idea, Woodlands alows gas cylinders under 15kg I would recommend bringing a saucepan and enough packet/tinned food that suits your dietry requirements for the duration. The food prices inside the circuit tend to be quite pricy, i.e a beefburger will be about £4.80, a cheeseburger £5.20, want fries with it? an extra £3, add a 750ml can drink and its another £2. So can easily be around £10 per head inside the circuit.

The vendors also tend to be the usual fast food vans, (although as well as the usual burger vans now they have stalls doing stir frys, pizzas, mexican food) i dont expect them to be set up to cater for special dietry requirements.

Having not camped at Woodlands before i cannot comment on how pricy the food in the campsite is, but having camped at the circuit in the past i know that the campsite shops can be quite pricy, so better to bring as much as possible with you and just buy from the campsite shop the things that are impossible to keep fresh such as milk.

There will be a tap on site somewhere so you can get fresh water, when i used to camp at silverstone i used to camp in one of the nearby farmers field and there was always taps to get free fresh water. most likely it will be on the outside of the shower/washroom block. you will find the nearest tap, either follow others with empty containers who look like they know where they are going, or if you see someone heading back with a full container, ask

I did look at the woodlands camp website, to see if they had any information. I recommend reading this page if you have not already:
http://silverstonewoodlands.co.uk/formula-1-2017/

You also asked about phone charging and storing valubles, this may be helpful for you:
https://biggreenlockerco.com/product/silverstone-woodlands-phone-charging-lockers-2017/

I personally am commuting to the circuit each day this year using the park and ride, but having looked at the woodlands website and the ammenties offered i think i may be booking to stay there in 2018.

By the way what tickets do you have for the weekend, Grandstand or General Admission?

Akra · Jun 13, 2017

Never underestimate how windy Silverstone is. The wind chill was awful when I went.

If you have special dietary requirements, I recommend bringing your own food. I'd recommend that anyway, as trackside food at any event tends to be expensive and limited. Granted I haven't done F1, but I've done WEC, Le Mans, BTCC and LMS, and it's always expensive. Sandwiches, wraps, bottled water, sausage rolls are the name of the game. Can be eaten cold, and is cheap and cheerful. If you want a burger or something that's fine, and the quality is usually decent, but it is expensive queues are long, and if you ask for gluten free, you might get a raised eyebrow.

There usually are water supplies via taps in a field in these places. At events I've been to this tends to be free. Quality tends to be fine too. No harm in bringing a case of bottle water though. Makes it easier to transport when you're walking places. Do not bring glass bottles. Some events do turn a blind eye (Le Mans used to), and it can be easy to smuggle them in. But it isn't worth the risk. Security might be high, so if you're taking a bag into the circuit then pack it in a way that's easy to pack and unpack. It may not be like that, but it's worth packing like that just in case you need to empty it.

Circuit toilets will be disgusting. It doesn't hurt to carry some wet wipes with you. Just a small packet. Not just for your and your families private areas, but for wiping a seat. Sorry, it isn't nice, but it needs to be said. If you plan on using the showers there, then flip flops are a must. The shower cubical will have mud trailed in. Stand in your flip flops in the shower. Buy cheap ones, because they might get ruined. Also have waterproof toiletry bags (the plastic things with cheap zips). Your toiletries will get wet. If they are loose in your bag, then everything else is getting wet. And you don't want some leaky shampoo to ruin your day.

If you want to keep up with the race, often the PA announcer is too quiet and you'll miss bits. A radio so you can listen to 5 live might be worth having. But if you just want to take in the atmosphere, don't use the radio, as you'll miss the engine noise.

Never ever leave valuables in your tent. Locking the zip with a padlock is absolutely worthless - if someone is going to steal something, they'll rip your tent. I had a bag stolen at Le Mans, but luckily there was nothing of value in it (they got a terrible bag and some cheap shower gel off of me). Always lock everything in a car. On Sunday night, many might clear away, whilst others might stay till the Monday before travelling. This applies especially on Sunday night, as circuit security will be relaxed. If you're going for a walk on Sunday, lock everything in the car.

If I think of anything else, I'll post. Most of this is from a decade of Le Mans, but the experience should be similar.

Akra · Jun 14, 2017

Oh, radios. If you want to use a radio to listen to Radio 5 live that's OK. But don't rely on your phone for streaming it. There will be no reception due to the amount of people there. Go old school and use an FM radio. Earphone or headset required too. This is standard for Le Mans. Everyone brings an old FM Radio or buys a €5 RLM radio at the circuit.

gazf12010 · Jun 14, 2017

Thats some good advice Akra, as far as taking a radio goes, Silverstone also will have its own radio station broadcasting during the weekend so you can keep up to date on events on and off the track. Silverstone Radio normally transmits on 87.7FM.
Same as RLM they sell silverstone radios inside circuit for around £8.